When Greg Doran’s husband, actor Antony Sher, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in the summer of 2021, they decided to make the most of their last months together, each keeping a diary of what happened. After Sher’s death, Doran set himself a target to find as many copies of the First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays as he could, travelling around the world in a quest to see this famous volume that is widely coveted by bibliophiles and book collectors.

After many years working as the Artistic Director of the RSC, Doran found that his encounters with these 400-year-old volumes brought him to a closer understanding of Shakespeare and his world and helped him see how Shakespeare’s influence resonates around the world. Along the way, he met King Charles III and the Emperor of Japan, discovered copies where previous owners had scribbled in the margins to note when they had seen the named cast members performing their famous roles, along with many other surprises. But his quest also began to become an obsession, but it also helped him grieve. So, when he had finished his ‘Folio Roadshow’, which included the discovery of a previously unknown copy, he was finally able to read Sher’s dying diaries and finally come to terms with the loss of his partner of 35 years.